Plastic bag with sampling pouch



g- 1969 A. M cLEAN, JR., ETAL PLASTIC BAG WITH SAMPLING POUCH Filed Feb. 8. 1968 4 /67/4190 M MAS/(ELL 7 0/1445 E. S/LL W/LL/AM E WAGNEP W ATTORN EV United States Patent U.S. Cl. 222-94 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plastic bag having a filling spout portion communieating with the interior of the bag inain body portion and a sampling pouch portion communicating with the filling spout portion.

This invention relates to plastic bags, for liquids or semi-solids, of the type generally used in association with an outer paperboard box.

An object of the invention is to provide a plastic bag with an integral sampling pouch portion which will permit removal of a relatively small quantity of contents from the bag for test purposes without contamination of the remainder of the contents of the bag;

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a plastic bag having a main body portion, a filling and/ or dispensing spout portion communicating with the main body portion, and a sampling pouch portion communicating with the filling and/or dispensing spout portion.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from an examination of the following description and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating an outer paperboard box containing an inner plastic bag embody ing features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the plastic bag illustrated in FIGURE 1, as seen after the bag has been filled;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the bag illustrated in FIGURE 2, as seen after part of the sampling spout portion has been removed from the remainder of the bag; and

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of the bag illustrated in the previous views, as seen after the dispensing spout portion has been cut to permit dispensing of the eontentsfrom the main body portion of the bag.

It will be understood that, for purposes of clarity, certain elements have been intentionally omitted from certain views where they are believed to be illustrated to better advantage in other views.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of the invention, and particularly to FIGURE 1, it will be seen that the novel bag embodying features of the invention, as indicated generally at G, is shown as disposed within an outer container in the formof paperboard box X.

It is to be understood, of course, that the bag can be used by itself without the association with an outer container if desired.

As best seen in FIGURE 2, the bag may be formed from a pair of relatively thin sheets of plastic film which, when disposed in face-to-face relation, from front and rear sides which are connected to each other as corresponding top, bottom and side edges at a peripheral seam or weld 12 Still referring to FIGURE 2 it will be seen that the bag is contoured to provide a main body portion 14 which has formed projecting outwardly therefrom and in communication therewith an integrally formed dispensing spout ice portion 16 and an integrally formed filling spout portion 18.

Still referring to FIGURE 2 it will be seen that the novel feature of this invention resides in the provision of a sampling pounch portion 20 which is formed integrally with and projects outwardly from a side of filling spout portion 1 8 and is in communication therewith.

The purpose of the sampling pouch portion is to permit the removal of a portion of the contents of the bag without contamination of the remainder of the contents in the bag. This is often necessary in order for health inspectors or other persons when required to make tests of bag contents.

Although in the embodiment illustrated in the drawing the sampling pouch portion is associated with the filling spout portion, it will be understood that the same arrangement could be used in a bag having a single spout which serves both for filling the bag and dispensing from the bag. In this type of arrangement the sampling pouch portion would be associated with the single spout.

Bags of the type disclosed herein are used primarily for the packaging of liquids or semi-solids such as ice cream extracts, frozen or semi-frozen eggs, and related materials. After the bag has been filled in the normal manner the end of the filling spout portion 18 may either be heat sealed or closed off with some type of tying or clipping means indicated generally at 22. In order to take a sample of the contents of the bag tying or clipping means 24 is applied to one end of the sampling pouch portion 20 immediately adjacent filling spout portion 18, as shown in FIGURE 3 and the major part 28 of sampling pouch portio 20 is severed as at 26 from the remainder of thebag.

The juncture of the main body portion 14 with the sampling pouch 20 is formed with a lip 30 which partially protrudes into the neck area 32 of the: filling spout 18'.

When the bag is being filled through the spout 18, a quantity of material being poured through the spout is diverted by the lip 30 into the sampling pouch 20.

The lip 30 insures that a true representative sample of the contents of the bag is received in the sampling pouch for future testing.

Thus it will be seen that a simple means is provided in this invention for taking representative test samples of a bag easily and without contamination of the contents in the remaining portion of the bag.

We claim:

1. A plastic bag comprising:

(a) a pair of opposed walls of flexible film joined to each other at corresponding edges to form a bag structure;

(b) said bag structure being contoured to provide:

(i) a body portion; (ii) a dispensing spout portion communicating with said body portion;

(iii) a filling spout portion communicating with said body portion;

(iv) a sampling pouch portion integral with and (ii) a dispensing spout portion communicating with said body portion;

(iii) a filling spout portion communicating with said body portion;

(iv) a sampling pouch portion integral with and projecting immediately outwardly from said filling spout portion.

3. A plastic bag comprising:

(a) a pair of opposed walls of flexible film joined to each other at corresponding edges to form a bag structure;

(b) said bag structure being contoured to provide:

(i) a body portion;

(ii) a filling spout portion communicating with said body portion;

(iii) a sampling pouch portion integral with and projecting immediately outwardly from said spout portion.

4. A plastic bag as defined in claim 3, wherein the sampling pouch portion is formed with a lip partially protruding into said filling spout portion so that a representative sample of the contents of the bag is diverted into said sampling pouch portion while the bag is being filled.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner 15 H. S. LANE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

